"On August 30, 2016, Antonov and AICC signed an agreement on cooperation under the An-225 program. Thus, the parties expressed their intention to cooperate in the long-term outlook, namely build and deliver the second example of the modernized An-225 Mriya aircraft at the Antonov enterprise at the first stage and establish the joint batch manufacture of An-225 in China under Antonov's license at the second stage,"the company said in a statement.

Every of the two stages stipulated in the agreement will be formalized in a separate contract, Antonov said.

No other details, namely the timeframe and volumes of the An-225 manufacture were not disclosed.

Earlier some Chinese media reported that China Airspace and Antonov signed a cooperation agreement on August 30. China was reported to have acquired the right of ownership of the An-225, including the use of blueprints and licenses, under the agreement. However, Antonov denied out-licensing for the Mriya aircraft.

The Antonov An-225 Mriya (NATO reporting name "Cossack") is a strategic airlift cargo aircraft. It was designed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union and made its maiden flight in 1988. It is powered by six turbofan engines and is the longest and heaviest airplane ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes (710 short tons). It also has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in operational service. The single example built has the Ukrainian civil registration UR-82060.